Hair Like Wind
by HonoraryTitanCosmicF
Summary: Maggie and Glenn are just trying to be in love in zombie infested world.
1. Chapter 1: The Infection

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead nor am I affiliated with it in any way. The Walking Dead is owned by Robert Kirkman and AMC.**

**Author's Note: I haven't been able to find a Glenn/Maggie fanfic that I actually like so I've decided to write one myself. Hope you enjoy.**

**Rating: I don't plan on anything naughty happening, but if it does, I will put a warning at the top. The worst that I'm planning on is swearing.**

***Events take place during season 4***

**Chapter 1: The Infection**

**Maggie's POV**

My eyes snap open, allowing me to escape the nightmare of the events of the previous day. I reach my hand over to find Glenn, only to touch the rough concrete wall of cell. I then remember that we're not supposed to be near each other because of the infection. I give a deep sigh and force myself into a sitting position. It's only just beginning to get light out. I know I won't be able to get back to sleep, so I just get dressed try to quietly keep busy.

After I've run out of things to do, I sit down and just look around. I deeply sigh again and look down. I see something sticking out of the pocket on my shirt. It's a picture of me. Not the one from yesterday, but a new one. Glenn snuck in and took another picture of me when I was sleeping. I was torn between _Glenn you take such horrible pictures _and _Glenn you sweetheart. _

About an hour later, Beth wakes up to tend to Judith. I go to her just for something to do. "Hey." I say to her.

"Hi. Sleep well?" She asks sarcastically.

"Oh yes, like a baby." I answer sarcastically. She smiles and puts a clean diaper on Judith and bounces her on her hip.

"You're sure you're alright?" She asks. I nod, rubbing my eyes.

"Yeah. I'm just tired and I want to see Glenn." I tell her. "But Rick must feel worse. He can't even see his own daughter."

"That must be pretty lousy." Beth says and kisses Judith. Judith looks at me and I smile at her.

"What about you? Are you doing okay?" I ask Beth.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She says. Just as she finishes speaking Judith starts crying. " Can you take her? I gotta get her somethin' to eat." I hold out my hands and Beth hands her to me. I set her down on my lap and hold her up. She chews on her finger and I stroke her hair. _Aren't you a cutie._ I think to myself. I smile and think back to a few days ago when I thought I was pregnant. I was scared, but also sort of happy. Most of all, I was afraid to end up like Lori and leave Glenn, Beth, my dad, and my baby alone. It really is an awful thing to think. Beth comes back with food for Judith and I hand her to Beth. I leave the cell and look at the clock outside the door. It's time for my through-the-fence walker killing shift.

I go outside and make my way to the chain link fence with the most walkers clinging to it and grab one of the many jabbing instruments used for this particular task. Crowbar, nice. I firmly grasp it and stake it through the head of one of the countless corpses threatening to break through the fence. About 15 walkers later, Glenn shuffles down to where I am and also grabs a tool. But he moves to a location on the fence about 20 feet from me. I look over at him, and he looks at me. He waves to me and I wave back. After every walker, I take a quick glance at him. His hair is all messy, he didn't bother to even comb through it with his fingers. And he still has imprints from his sheets on his skin, he must have woken up late. We kill walkers in silence, well, by silence I mean we're not making any noise, until the next people come for their shift. We walk back to the prison together for breakfast, but he trails me by about 15 feet. "How did you sleep last night?" He asks me.

"Not well." I answer.

"I figured." He says.

"Did you?"

"Yeah. You don't talk a whole lot when you're tired." He says. I turn around and slowly walk towards him. He walks backwards away from me at the same speed.

"I couldn't sleep without you."

"I'm sorry. If I'm sick, I don't want to get you sick." He says. I can hear the concern in his voice. "I'm sure this won't last long. Well, at least I hope it won't." I stop walking and so does he. I take a deep breath and turn back around to walk back to the prison.

When we get back, breakfast is done and the non-exposed peoples' turn to get food. I go and get my portion and take a seat with the other allegedly healthy people. There's not much talking during breakfast. There's only one thing to talk about, and no one wants to talk about it.

After breakfast, I have nothing to do for a few hours so I just wander aimlessly around the cell block, looking for ways to help. But at 2 pm, I'm finally on watch duty. I take a rifle up to the watch tower me and Glenn made our own little, I don't know, apartment? At this current point in time, he's not allowed in it, and I'm not allowed to sleep here because he was in the bed.

Watch duty is mostly just precautionary, so nothing happens most of the time. I'm technically still contributing, so I feel good about that, but also feel really idle. After several hours, it's lunch time. We go through the same drill and I go back to the fence to kill more walkers. This time Sasha is with me. She was also exposed, so she also stands about 20 feet from me. Then we have dinner. Once again, same drill. And then bed. As soon as my head hits the pillows, I can tell I'm not getting sleep. I feel so lonely.

**_TWO WEEKS LATER _**

Two weeks of being separated have passed. Seven people have been infected with this flu or whatever it is. None of my close friends or family, thank God. But it's really horrible to watch, regardless. Doctor S and my dad haven't been able to figure out what is yet.

Today, Glenn and I were both back on the fence. We would still share a glance every now and then. I was glad just to be somewhat near him. But then he suddenly started violently coughing. I dropped my crowbar in shock. "Glenn, go inside!" I yell.

"No, I'm okay. Really..." He says.

"GO IN, NOW! Please...get checked out. For me..." I beg. He nods his head and runs past me back to the prison.

I kill walkers at double speed. All these thoughts are racing through my head and I don't like a single one of them. I can't lose Glenn. I need him. I need him alive and with me. I keep going with tears blinding me. But I just take my anger and fear out on the walking chunks of flesh that have ruined everything for me and everyone else. I finish my shift and sprint inside to see if Glenn if alright. I find my dad. "Where...where is Glenn?"

"Shhh, Maggie. Be calm." He says, wiping my tears. "We moved him to a cell in the tombs."

"You need to find out what's wrong!" I sob.

"Maggie, relax. Please." He tries to settle me, but I'm too erratic. He eventually gives up and pulls me into a hug. I hug back and only now do I realize how much I hungered for human closeness. He strokes the back of my head and I feel the safest I have in weeks.

"Dad, please. You have to find out how to cure him." I whimper into his shirt. He nods.

"I'll do everything I can."

"Go. Now. Please." He nods again and leaves me standing there alone.

**Glenn's POV**

The pain in my head in almost unbearable and the coughing is rubbing my throat raw. It definitely _feels _like a flu. I hear footsteps coming towards my cells and the door opens. I recognize the faint squeak that Hershel's artificial leg makes when he walks and I know it's him.

"How's Maggie?" I ask.

"She's a mess." He answers.

"She'll be alright."

"But you won't be unless we find out what this is."

"Well there's not much we can do." I state.

"We'll see." He puts a stethoscope to my chest and listens. "Your lungs have a lot of blockage." He takes my blood pressure. "Your blood pressure is way up."

"So what do those things mean?" It's kind of a dumb question.

"We have to fix those things and a little more." I nod. "Sit up a minute." I push myself up. "I'd like to take a swab of your throat so Doctor S can look at it under the microscope." I nod and he shoves a cotton swab halfway down my throat. "Thank you."

"Mhmm." I reply and plop back down on the cot. Hershel goes down the hall to where Doctor S has been doing his research. I can hear them both murmuring to each other. I can't make out any words until one of them shouts. Excitedly, I'm guessing. Hershel comes rushing back in.

"It's a fungal infection!" He exclaims.

"Is that good or bad?" I ask.

"It means we can treat it." He says. "So it's good. We just need to get some anti fungal drugs, some blood thinners, and Amantadine."

"Is all that doable?" I ask. It seems a little steep.

"Yes. Within the next couple hours, too." He says. "Glenn, you're gonna make it."

"That's good to hear. I'll be goddamned if I die of a flu during the zombie apocalypse."

**Maggie's POV**

My dad comes rushing upstairs from the tombs. My immediate thought is that he's going to tell me that Glenn is dead. "We know what we need to get." He tells me.

"Well, let's go!" I say, grabbing my backpack and rushing for the door. He stops me.

"We have to get a group."

"I'll get Daryl, Michonne, and Doctor S." I say and he nods.

It only takes us about five minutes to leave. We hightail it to the hospital about 30 miles way. We make it there in about 10 or 15 minutes. Doctor S used to work at this hospital, so he know's where everything is. He directs towards the storage room where all of the hard medication is kept. He cleans out the supply of the medicine we need and a few other useful medicines.

"Okay, let's get going." I say. We all make a break for the door and make our way to the car. We get back to the prison quickly. We were only gone about 45 minutes and he already looks worse. "Dad, treat him." He nods and lays out all of the medicine. First he injects him with the anti fungal medicine, then the Amantadine, and lastly the blood thinners.

"All there's left to do is wait." He says. I wipe the tears from my face.

"Can I sit with him?" I ask.

"I think it would be better if you waited outside the cell." My dad tells me. I nod and slide my back down the wall, the concrete catching my clothes and scraping my back, into a sitting position. I quietly cry into my knees and eventually cry myself to sleep. I wake up to someone shaking my shoulder.

"Maggie. Maggie wake up." Someone says to me.

"Whaa?" I say groggily. I see Glenn looking down at me. "Glenn!" I jump up and pull him down, well his neck, and he pulls me up. He holds me close to him and I can finally breathe in the scent of him again. I can finally touch his soft skin and hair. "I missed you so much." I say, the words muffled by his chest.

"I know. I missed you, too." The familiar feel of his arms around my waist and shoulders is like a warm blanket. I wipe my eyes with his shirt.

"So, are you cured? Completely?"

"For the most part. But no kissing for few more days. Just to be safe." I nod and squeeze him tighter.

"I guess maybe I can go a little longer. Can we sleep in the same bed?"

"Not until tomorrow night." He says sternly.

"Ok."

Later, he goes back to his cell and I go back to mine where I lay awake fantasizing about tomorrow night. When I see the morning light, I get dressed and get on all the work I have to do as fast as possible, as if it would make the day go faster. We eat together and he flirts with me throughout the day. I feel like a little school girl with a crush. It's just been so long since we've interacted.

The day finally ends and we're both allowed to sleep in our watchtower. Up there, he pulls off his shirt, revealing his pale chest. I grab hold of him and run my hands over his back, readjusting myself to him, while he puts his hands up the back of my shirt, touching my back and my hips. I almost forgot what it felt like. "Lay down." I tell him.

"Yes, ma'am." He says and lays down on his back. I lay on top of him and position my head right under his chin. "That demand was misleading."

"Shh. I'm trying to sleep." I say, smirking. I can feel him smile as he drapes his arms over me.


	2. Chapter 2: Chased Away

**Chapter 2: Chased Away**

**Maggie's POV**

When I wake up, I can feel the hot moisture that filled the air. Glenn's bare torso is a lightly dabbled with sweat, but I don't mind. Best to enjoy the heat while we have it. Winter last year was brutal, and I'm definitely not looking forward to it this year. "Glenn." I whisper. "Glenn, you awake?" No answer. "Glenn." I say tapping his cheek with my hand. He stirs and lazily opens his eyes. "Good. You're awake."

"Yeah." He yawns and wipes his eyes. "Damn, it's hot."

"Mmm." I say in agreement. I take a deep breath and pull Glenn closer to me. He strokes my hair. "You scared the shit out of me, you know."

"What?"

"When you got sick. I was terrified."

"Everything worked out though." He props himself up. And I do the same. "Right?" I nod. He smiles and kisses me for the first time in weeks. His lips are a bit rough and they taste slightly salty. But I think it's the best kiss I've ever had. I grab a handful of his hair and pull is face closer to mine and he moans. He lifts me up and I wrap my legs around his waist. He pushes my back to wall and puts his hands all over my thighs and butt. As soon as I feel him harden, he stops everything. He puts me down and pulls away. He's out of breath. "We should get breakfast. " He said. I sigh and fix my hair.

"Yeah. Let's go." I say. He kisses my cheek and smiles. I smile back and we go down the trap door to join the others for breakfast.

Breakfast is normal. Glenn gets to sit with the healthy people and everything feels like it's back to normal. All of sudden, Michonne calls over and says that the fence is on the verge of being pushed over by all the walkers. Rick, Daryl, Tyreese, Sasha, Glenn and I all rush over to try to do _something._

Everyone grabs a tool and tries to kill as many walkers leaning against the fence as possible. But we're not even making a dent. There is easily over a hundred pushing up against the chain link and more than a couple thousand surrounding the prison. This is one of those times that I'm really glad I'm not in command.

"What can we do?" Daryl asks Rick. Rick looks at all the walkers and then at the ground.

"We have to leave." He concludes after a second or two of contemplation. I look over at Glenn. He has his eyes closed tight in thought and his head is bowed with his hand across his mouth. He opens his eyes and exhales. He looks at me apologetically, as if it was his fault. "There's no other option. If we stay, these fences are gonna give and we die." He preaches. "But if we go, we can find somewhere else. We have a shot. It needs to be soon though. If we wait much longer, this really will be a prison." Everyone nods and we go back to the prison to collect our things and tell everyone else to do the same.

I tell Beth the news while Glenn packs up the tower and anything else. "Beth, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" She asks picking Judith up after a nap.

"The prison is surrounded. We have to go. Everyone here has to leave and find somewhere else to live." She doesn't say anything, but she nods her head. "So you have to pack up whatever you need." She nods again. I leave to find my dad and break it to him, too.

I go to my dad's cell and find him reading his old battered copy of the bible. "Dad. We can't stay." He looks up at me and closes the book.

"I knew this wouldn't be permanent." He says. "Nothing is anymore."

"Dad, I'm scared. This is the safest place I can think of and it still wasn't enough." I hug him. His hugs make me feel like a child again.

"It's alright, Maggie dear." He speaks softly. "We'll get through this." I nod and he kisses my forehead before I leave.

Daryl and Michonne are out looking for a place we can hold up in until we can find a place that's more permanent. Well, as permanent you can get these days. And I go and help Lizzie and Mika get their things packed. When Carol left, Lizzie and Mika sort of started to look at me and Glenn as parental figures. I feel so badly for them that I can't push them away. When Glenn and Lizzie were both sick, they really connected. She even called him Dad once on accident. It broke my heart. But they're such sweethearts.

"Maggie? Where will we go?" Lizzie asks me while stuffing some clothes in a large duffle bag.

"I don't know, honey." I say, giving her hair a small stroke. "Daryl and Michonne are out looking for a place that will keep us safe."

"I don't want to leave. This is where my dad is buried." You can hear the tears she's choking back. I kneel down to her level and hug her.

"I don't want to go either. I don't think anyone does."

"Are we gonna make it?" She asks. This question really surprises me. Why would she ask me such a question? How can I answer? I can't look her in the eye and tell her that I have no goddamn idea if we'll even live to see tomorrow.

"I think so." That's the best I can do. Do I really think we're gonna make it? I don't know. Not long after Glenn walks in and Mika jumps into his arms and help picks her up and holds her.

"Hey guys. What's up?" He says cheerfully, definitely lightening the mood.

"We're just packin'." I say and smile. He nods.

"Lizzie, Mika, why don't you guys see if Beth needs any help and we'll finish up here?" Glenn tells the girls. They nod and leave us alone.

"Something wrong?" I ask him.

"Yeah. The walkers broke down the outer fences and they're right outside the prison. I didn't want to scare them. But we need to go. Now."'

"By ourselves?" We've always been with the group. I don't know how good our chances are on our own.

"Unless everyone in the group leaves with us." He says. "I don't like it either. But we don't have long." I don't say anything. I'm running through everything that could happen over and over again in my head. He sits down next to me and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"You get a car ready and I'll finish packing the girls up." I say. I'm not sure if this is the best way to go, but Glenn is right. We don't have long and there aren't many options. I finish all the packing and take some food for the road. I find Lizzie and Mika playing with Carl in the library. "Girls, we need to talk." I say and I take them out in the hall. Carl doesn't need to know we're leaving yet. He'll just tell Rick and I don't need that right now. "We have to go. It's not safe anymore."

"We know. You already told us." Mika says.

"No honey. On our own. Just you, me, Glenn, and your sister." I explain. "We can't stay with the group."

"What? Why?" Lizzie asks.

"We don't have nearly as much time as everyone thinks. It will take too long to get out of here if we wait for everyone else. It could be too late by then." Just as I speak, I hear something coming from the D block. "Stay here. I'll be right back." I go to the cell block. The walkers broke into the prison and the cell block is being attacked. I run back to the girls and pick up all the bags. "Now! We have to go now!"

"What!? What's going on!?" Lizzie yells.

"The cell block is being attacked. The walkers broke in and we need to find Glenn and get out." We leave out the back door of the prison where Glenn is preparing a mid sized SUV. "Glenn, we gotta go now."

"What? What happened?"

"The walkers broke through to D block." I tell him.

"Alright, everyone in the car." Lizzie and Mika get in and Glenn goes around to the back and opens the truck for me and I shove all the bags in and slam the door. I get in the passenger's seat and Glenn gets in the driver's seat. "Here we go."

"What about Beth? And my dad?" I beg.

"Maggie, it's too late." He says. "I'm sorry." He outs the car in drive and the momentum pushes my back to the seat. I keep looking back at the prison, just to see if they show up. But all I see is walkers. Not even Rick is outside. And that worries me. Maybe C block was locked down and they made it? It's the not knowing that's killing me. Once the prison is out of sight, I stare out the window and let the tears fill my eyes and trail down my face.

After driving for a few hours, there is a sign for a hotel. Glenn suggests we check it out. It's safe and even has places to sleep. Glenn drives up to the hotel and takes off his seat belt. "Okay, I'm gonna go inside and check it out and you're gonna stay here." He says to all of us.

"No. I'm coming with you." I insist.

"You need to stay with them." I almost forget they were with us. They haven't made in sound since we left.

"Ok." I don't want to stay. But he's right. He gets out and runs up to the door and yanks it open and he disappears into the building. "Are you two alright." I twist around to look at them. Lizzie is asleep and Mika is staring at her lap.

"Yes." She didn't sound alright.

"Are you sure, sweetheart?" I ask. She sighs.

"I'm just-Is this place safe?" I wish they wouldn't ask me these kinds of questions.

"I really hope so." That's the only answer I can give that's true. We sit in the car for about 10 minutes until Glenn comes back. "So?"

"It's clear." Hearing those words are such a relief that it makes me feel a little light headed. "I don't think there were a whole lot of people checking into hotels when outbreak started. There are a lot of clean rooms to choose from."

"So we can go in now?" I ask. He nods and I take off my seat belt and so does Mika. Glenn opens Lizzie's door and picks her up, her arms lazily holding on to his neck. Mika and I get the few bags we packed and we all make our way to the door.

"There were two rooms next to each other that looked pretty good. Just on the third floor." Glenn says gently, careful not to wake Lizzie. It was true. The rooms were pretty nice. Definitely a step up from the prison cots. I could tell Mika was excited. I don't think she has stayed in many hotels. Not that she should think of this endeavor as a vacation. "So what you think?"

"It's pretty!" Mika answers. Glenn smiles and then looks at me for my answer.

"I like it. It's nice." He smiles again and lays Lizzie down on the still neatly made bed. It's only just getting dark out, so we eat before it gets too dark to see anything. It's just crackers, jerky, and water, but it's something. Once it get's totally dark, everyone just goes to bed. I tuck Mika into the queen sized bed that Glenn put Lizzie in and Glenn and I take the one in the adjoining room. I lay down, but I'm not really tired. But Glenn starts snoring only a few minutes after he lays down. I turn over and rest my face on his shoulder.

I wake up to Mika jostling me. I don't even remember falling asleep. "What? What is it?"

"Can I sleep with you?"

"What's wrong?"

"I just-I don't know. Nothing." She starts to walk away, but I skooch closer to Glenn and flip up the blankets.

"Come on. It's okay, honey." She gets in and grabs my hand and holds it. She falls asleep and then I do.


	3. Chapter 3: Bread

**Chapter 3: Bread**

**Glenn's POV**

When I wake up, I don't know what to expect. Maggie and the girls are gone. I open the thick, dense curtains and it's dark out. I'm not sure if it means I haven't slept much or if I slept through the night and through most of the day, too. I get out of the bed and crack my back and rub the sleep from my eyes.

"Maggie?" I say to the moderately darkened room. "Lizzie? Mika?" I look at the nightstand. It has a note on it written in Maggie's messy handwriting.

"_Glenn, the girls and I went to check out the hotel a little more. Love, Maggie_."

She must have written that in the morning. And it's dusk now. So they've been gone awhile. I'd better go looking for them.

After looking for about 10 minutes, I find them in the kitchen eating out of a big can of chocolate pudding. "Sorry I'm late to the party." I say and they all look at me.

"So you finally woke up?" Maggie asks.

"Yeah. Did I just sleep through most of the day?" I ask.

"Yeah. I knew how tired you were. So I didn't want to wake you." She replies.

"I feel guilty sleeping all day though." I state. She gets up and hugs me.

"You shouldn't. Nothing really happened, anyway. Except that I found the generator and got some electricity going." She said. Only then did I notice the small lamp next to Lizzie and Mika.

"Shit! Really? That's amazing."

"Uh huh. And I have some bread in the oven."

"Don't you need milk and eggs to make bread?" I asked.

"This bread my mom taught me how to make doesn't need them. It doesn't taste quite as good, but I haven't had bread in a well over year, so I don't even care."

"I'm definitely looking forward to this bread." Maggie looks over at Lizzie and Mika coloring and she doesn't quite look right. "Maggie, are you okay?" I ask rubbing her shoulder.

"Yeah. I'm alright. I was just...just thinkin' about my dad and Beth. And the rest." She says. I pull her to my chest and hug her. She doesn't hug back. She just lays her arms flat against me and lets me hold her.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what to tell you." I stroke her hair.

"You don't need to tell me anything." She says softly. "It's not your fault."

"We can go back." She pull her back to look at me.

"What?"

"We can go back to the prison and see if they're still there. To see how everything turned out. Who knows? Maybe they're still there."

"Are you sure? Is that safe?"

"Yeah. It's as safe as anything else." She wraps her arms around my neck.

"We can go tomorrow morning." She says and I nod. She softly kisses my lips, the taste and scent of chocolate still lingering on her mouth. We're interrupted by Mika tugging on Maggie.

"Mommy-I, I mean Maggie, the bread is done!" Maggie smiles and puts her arm around Mika's shoulders.

"Come on, honey. Let's take it out of the oven." They go over and Maggie opens the oven door and the most comforting aroma dominates the room. I had forgotten what bread smelled like. Right now, it kinda smells like how sex feels. I sit down next to Lizzie at the table. She is drawing a picture of three people in a bed.

"Who're they?" I ask her, pointing to the people.

"That's you, Maggie, and Mika." She says, pointing to each individual person.

"When did this happen?" I ask her. I don't seem to recall.

"Last night. Mika was scared so she slept in your bed." Lizzie says, absent minded. Just then, Maggie comes over with a plate of steaming sliced bread.

"Alright. Someone taste it and tell me how it turned out." Maggie says nervously.

"Sure thing." I take a hearty piece and take a bite. Holy shit, it tastes amazing. I nod graciously to Maggie, confirming that she has done a stellar job. She let's out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank christ. I was worried that I did it wrong." She admits. I swallow and shake my head.

"Nothing about this bread is wrong." I say patting her hand. "Trust me." She smiles and does that "what am I gonna do with you?" head shake.

"Do you girls like it?" Maggie asks, pulling the hair away from Mika's face. Mika nods and leans her head on Maggie's shoulder and Maggie's puts her arm around her.

"Yeah. It's good. It's sweet." Lizzie says, taking a another mouthful. Maggie smiles and starts a piece while I finish my first and go in for a second. Before long, the whole plate is gone and the end of the bread comes. Even though that was all I've eaten all day, it filled me up.

"Oh. Glenn, the water main is still intact and the pilot is still on." Maggie say. "We got hot water." Both the girls shriek with excitement.

"Maggie, you are a women of many talents." I say and kiss her across the table.

"Can we go take showers?" Lizzie asks Maggie.

"Of course. Just Let the water run for a few minutes first. Glenn, will you take them while I finish cleaning up down here?" She asks. I nod.

"Come on, girls. Let's go." I say and they run off ahead of me, forcing me to quicken my pace. I chase them up the three floors to the rooms we chose yesterday. "Alright. One of you in this room and one in the other. Take your pick." They each take off in different directions and I plant myself on the bed and fall back. Running up the stairs made me slightly fatigued. I drift into a meditative state and am brought back by Mika. "Huh? What is it?"

"Can you tuck me in?" She asks quietly. I prop myself up and push myself off the bed.

"Yeah. Sure." She reaches her hands up towards my shoulders, requesting for me to pick her up. And I do. I carry her over to their room and set her on the bed.

"Are you and Maggie our new mom and dad?" She asks me. I'm really taken aback by her question. If she sees us as her new parents, then that's fine. But saying yes...I feel like that would be like telling her she should forget her real parents.

"If you want us to be, we will." I simply say. She nods.

"Okay, 'cause I want you to be." She replies and pulls the blankets over herself and turns with her to me.

"Okay. Good night." I say a leave and go back to the adjacent room and plop myself back down on the bed just as Maggie walks in. "Hey."

"Hey." She looks into the other room. "She asleep already?"

"Yeah. Exciting day, I guess." I say and she smiles and sits down next to me.

"What are we gonna do with the girls tomorrow?" She asks. "They can't stay here alone, and I don't think they should come with us, either."

"I say they come with us." I say. "At least we can protect them if they're with us."

"Okay." She sighs. "Oh god. I'm tired." She moves up and lays on a side of the unmade bed. The bathroom door opens and Lizzie walks out. "Good night, Lizzie." She says gently.

"Good night." She says back.

I pull the blankets over Maggie as I feel the goosebumps on her skin rise and turns to me to lay her head on my chest. I put my arm around her. "Wake me up at six." She says before she falls asleep.

**Maggie's POV**

"Maggie. Maggie it's six o'clock." I hear Glenn say as he shakes me awake. I lazily open my eyes and sit up, feeling the blood rush from my head.

"Ugghh. Thanks." I say, rubbing his arm. "I'm gonna shower. You should, too" I say and he gives me the look (you know the_ one_). "No." I give a him smile along with a shake of my head and he smiles back. I shake my head again and walk into the bathroom and flip on the light, closing the door behind me. I set a towel aside and strip down and step in the shower. I flip on the water and it's freezing at first, but quickly warms up. The sting of the hot water on my skin is something I've missed dearly. I continue washing while quietly humming to myself and dreading the quickly approaching moment of when I'll have to get out.

Once all the soap is rinsed off, I turn off the spray and step out to wrap the towel around my waterlogged body. I dry myself off and put on fresh clothes and brush out my hair before opening the door. The sun is still not fully up, but it's time to wake the girls anyway.

A kneel down on the floor next to Mika and rub her back the way my mom used to do to me. "Mika, sweetie. It's time to get up." I say softly. I push her hair back. "Honey, come one." She opens her eyes and looks at me.

"Why do we have to get up?" She asks.

"We're gonna go back to the prison. And we're gonna see if anyone is still there." I explain. She nods her head.

"Okay." She says and gets up and goes into the empty bathroom. I go over to Lizzie's side of the bed.

"Lizzie. Lizzie, honey. You gotta get up now." I say with the same tone. I touch her shoulder and she jerks awake, breathing fast and heavy. "Hey, hey, hey, it's okay. You're safe." She sits up and wipes her eyes, her breathing steadying, recovering from an obvious nightmare. I sit next to her on the bed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She says. Despite her word, she starts sobbing and hugs me and places her head on my chest. I wrap my arms around her and lay my head on top of hers. "I miss my mom and dad." She sobs.

"I know." I say, trying to console her. "Me too." She starts to calm down.

"What happened to them?" She asks, sniffing and whimpering.

"Well, when I was real little, my mom died. And not long after that, my dad remarried. She was alright, but I still only wanted my mom." I tell her. "I finally warmed up to her. And we were okay. But when the outbreak started, she died, too. And I don't know what happened to my dad. He could be back at the prison, or he could be dead."

"I'm sorry." She pulls away to look at me.

"It's okay." I say. She looks to her left and sees Glenn looking at us. She hides her face in my shoulder. I gesture to the door with my head. He gets the hint and leaves. "What's wrong?"

"I just don't want him to see me cry." She says and gets up and also disappears into the bathroom. I don't even realize that I'm crying. I quickly wipe my eyes and start packing some odds and ends for the road.

"Is she okay?" Glenn asks. I nod. "Are _you_ okay?" I nod again. "You sure?" I stop and look at him and sigh.

"Yeah. I'm okay. I'm worried about my family." I say, a little too harshly. I shouldn't have gotten myself worked up. He nods. "Honey, I'm sorry. I'm just, you know. Anxious."

"I know." He hugs me and I bury my face in his neck and breathe him in. "You don't have to apologize."

"We ready to go?" I ask, the words muffled by his shirt.

"Yeah. As soon as they're ready." I kiss him and he lets me go. "I'm gonna put the stuff in the car." I nod and sit on the bed and wait for the girls. After a few minutes they're both ready and I walk them down to the car. We get everyone all settled and we get on the road. The drive to the prison is about four hours. After about an hour of doing nothing, I'm a little twitchy. In the glove box is a CD sleeve full of all kinds of music. Most of it's not my taste, but there I find a Shania Twain Greatest Hits CD and pop it in the player. Time starts passing a lot faster and we're back at the prison before I know it. I can see through the trees that the place is completely surrounded before we even pull in the driveway. My heart starts thumping as the realization of how slim the chances of their survival is hits me.

"Glenn, how are we even gonna get inside?" I ask. I'm glad the girls fell asleep on the way here. I don't want them to see this.

"I have an idea." He says.

"Go on." He stops the car right before the driveway.

"Okay, so we take some gasoline and we dump on as many walkers as we can. And then we toss a lighter into the mess. And then we wait." He says.

"You think it'll work?" It seems like it would. I mean, crazier things have happened.

"It's worth a shot." He says. "From what I've seen, they burn pretty well."

"Let's do it." He gets out of the car and goes around to the back. He comes back with a gas can and hands it to me. I take off my seat belt and take it. "Let's go." He outs the car in drive and takes up the path to the hoard of walkers. The Lizzie and Mika hear the moans and they wake up.

"What's happening?" Mika asks.

"We're gonna try a little somethin' but I don't want you to look, okay?" I say. "You, too, Lizzie." I don't know if they do as say, but I honestly don't care all that much. I roll down my window and douse all the walkers grabbing at the car. I get about a hundred before the can is empty. "Quick, Glenn, gimme a lighter." He fumbles in his pocket and pulls out an old zippo. I click it on. "Go!" He starts driving away from the herd and I throw the lighter. The walkers I soaked go up so fast I barely see it happen. The rest of the herd catch fire soon after. It's like the domino effect. Glenn pulls back onto the road before the prison drive and we wait.


	4. Chapter 4: Prison

**Author's Note: Thanks to all that have read and double thanks to those that will continue to read. I've been left some sweet comments. Your feedback is much appreciated! **

**Chapter 4: Prison**

**Maggie's POV**

We wait a good 45 minutes for everything to burn and settle. The suspense, the anticipation, whatever it is, is burning a hole in me. Once the anxiety stomach aches come, I can't take it anymore. "It is good to go?" I ask impatiently. Glenn pulls forward to get a decent view of the prison courtyard. Things are still smoking, but nothing's moving.

"Yeah, it looks about good." He verifies. He continues up the drive, running right over all the burned carcasses, up to the same spot where we were when we fled. When the cars stops, I fling the door open and slam the door behind me. Glenn and the girls follow close behind as I approach the busted down door. I walk slowly down the hall, with my knife in hand and my gun ready and loaded in my holster. There is one walker that I easily take down. But as soon as I get a good look at it through the thick, dusty air, I immediately recognize it as one of the many Woodbury survivors. A million thoughts are going through my head, but I ignore them all and focus on the task at hand. I kill about twenty five walkers, some I recognize, some I don't, though none of them are anyone I'm looking for. We come up to the C block entrance and there are sounds of walkers coming from the room. I felt strong until I reached this doorway. Now I just feel small and weak. Lizzie comes up next to me and grabs my hand.

"Come on. Let's go." She says and pulls me through the doorway. Several walkers are on the bottom floor and several more are up on the catwalk. Even more are rattling the bars in some of the cells. Glenn and I stab the immediate threats and he continues upstairs to kill the remaining ones. Meanwhile, I examine the walkers that locked themselves in before they turned. All of them are Woodbury survivors. Although it's sad, I was never close to any of them. Hell, I didn't even _know_ half of them. Lizzie and Mika are obviously disturbed to see these people, people they knew and lived with, like this. I think I'm relieved that I didn't find them, but I can't tell if it's that or fear. I go upstairs and look in those cells. Glenn killed all the walkers, but I can still hear one.

"Glenn, where is the last one?" I ask. He comes from behind the watch tower.

"I don't know." He says. I look at the row of cells and follow the faint sound to the last one. I reach my hand inside and unlatch the door and pull it open.

"It's in here." I say. He comes up behind me. I look around.

"Top bunk." He says. I inch closer to the top bunk, nervous of what I might find. Under a blanket is something moving. I pull off the blanket and find a turned Judith, flailing around. I back away so quickly and abruptly that I knock over several things before slamming into the wall, my breathing fast and heavy. "It's okay, it's okay." He holds me by my shoulders. Mika tugs at my arm, begging me to tell her what it is.

"Please, just, just take care of it." I stutter. He pulls away and takes his knife from his belt. He very hesitantly takes the knife and drives it into the baby's head.

"What? What is it?!" Mika pleads. Glenn puts his knife back in his belt and squats down to her level.

"Baby Judith, she didn't make it." He says calmly. A grimace stretches across her face and she throws herself forward into his arms. He returns the embrace and soothes her.

"But she was just a baby." She whimpers into his shoulder.

"I know." He says. "I know." Lizzie wraps her arms around my waist and hugs me and I hug her back.

"We have to keep looking." I say, refusing to let the threatening tears make an appearance . Lizzie nods and we walk out of the cell, down the catwalk, down the stairs, and out the door, hand in hand.

**Glenn's POV**

The way that Maggie and Lizzie stormed out like that freaked me out a little. That's not like Maggie. Something about her is different. She's...colder. She certainly toughened up after we left the farm, but she didn't lose who she was.

"I'm scared." Mika says into my shirt.

"Of what?"

"Everything."

"So was I." I tell her.

"You?_ You _were _scared?_" She says. "Nuh uh."

"Well, sure. Everyone gets scared." I say. "After awhile, you learn to not be scared anymore."

"How?"

"You just get used to it all." I explain. "The world is so full of fear and loss, now. I guess you don't stop being scared, you just get used to being scared."

"I'm scared of that." She says.

"Yeah. Me, too." I say to her. "Maggie, wait a second, please." She stops and turns to me.

"Can we talk real quick?" I ask. She nods and I put Mika down and tell both girls to give us a minute.

"What?" She asks quickly, as if we were in a hurry.

"When you stormed outta there with Lizzie like that, it really freaked Mika out. And me." I say. "It wasn't like you."

"I was just trying to be strong." Her voice is shaking.

"You don't have to try to be anything." I say.

"I don't want them to think I'm weak. I don't want _you _to think I'm weak." She says, her voice cracking.

"You're not weak. You're not." I take her hands in mine. "If you were weak, you wouldn't have made it this far." I pull her towards me. "At this point, there are no weak ones."

"I'm sorry." She says. I can feel her wet cheek on my neck. I pull away and wipe her tears.

"Don't ever be sorry." I say and kiss her cheek.

**Maggie's POV**

"We should keep looking." I whisper.

"Yeah. Let's go." He says. He strokes my cheek with his thumb, coaxing a smile from me, and continues forward. "Come on, girls." The girls come skipping from behind a corner and Glenn leads us onward to the tombs. Daryl found Carol down there all those months ago, so I suppose it's possible Beth or my dad is down there. We search every room, cell, and closet, but we don't find anything. I look to Glenn for an idea. He just looks at me blankly.

"Where's Mika?" I ask indirectly. Only when I noticed, did everyone else. Glenn looks around and Lizzie starts to wander off, saying her name. "No! Don't run off. Stay with us."

"Which way first?" Glenn asks me, gesturing to the left and right split in the hallway.

"Right first." I say walking down the right fork. We walk all the way down and hit a dead end and find nothing. "Well, I guess we'll take the left one now." We go back and take the left fork. "Mika?" I say the dark winding hallway. "Mika?" Just as we reach the last turn of this piece of the labyrinth, I find Mika looking at a door. "Mika! Why would you run off like that?"

"But I heard something!" She argues.

"Just don't go anywhere by yourself." I tell her.

"There's somethin' behind that door!" She whines as if I hadn't said a thing. Glenn steps forward.

"Back up." He says. I grab Mika's hand and pull her away from the door. He slowly turns the handle, looks at me to be ready, and pulls the door open. Right behind the door, sitting against the wall, is Beth.

"Beth!" I lunge forward to her. "Beth. Oh my god."

"Maggie..." She says lightly, as if she was out of breathe.

"What? What's wrong?" I demand. She lazily turns to show me the deep, festering, scratch wound on her shoulder. "Beth. No." I pull her into me, more for my comfort than for hers. "Where's daddy?" My voice is rocky. Her only response is a small, but clear, shake of her head. There's nothing I can do to refuse the tears now. They come pouring from eyes, washing over my cheeks. My chest aches from sobbing into my sister's shoulder.

"It'll be okay." She says, labored.

"Beth, how long have you been here?" I ask.

"Three days. I think." She whispers. "Where is Judith?" I take her hand and shake my head.

"We found her." I say. "She had turned." A small tear slips out from each of her eyes.

"Oh my god." She cries quietly, letting out short, gasping sobs. "It's okay...it's okay. I'll be with them soon."

"No."

"_Yes._" She says. "You know there's no way to stop it." Of course I know that. I've long since accepted it. But it's somehow different right now. No one I was particularly close to has had to die lie this in awhile.

"I know."

"I love you." She says.

"I love you, too." Her eyes close and they don't open again. And here I am, breaking down next to my sister's body, in front of the only family I have left. Glenn holds me and rubs my back while I cry into his chest. Lizzie and Mika gently weep with amongst themselves and Glenn wraps one of his arms around them, keeping me in the other. I pull away and take the pocket knife from Glenn's belt and carefully shove in the back of her head to keep her face clear of gore. "We need to bury her." I say and Glenn nods his head. He bends over and lovingly picks her up. He follows me to C block where I get Judith to bury her, as well. We make our way out the yard, picking up a couple shovels on the way, and dig a shallow grave. We place her body in the hole and lay Judith on her stomach and pile the dirt on them both, avoiding getting dirt on her face as long as possible. After the job is done, I say an old prayer my dad taught me in my head, as if it would do something for with Beth or myself. After a little while, Glenn touches my shoulder.

"Are you ready to go?" He asks softly. I wipe the wetness from my face with both my hands and toss my hair behind my ears. I look at him and nod my head. "Come on, girls." They each take one of his hands and start walking to the car while I trail behind them, savoring this moment of partial alone time.

**Glenn's POV**

Maggie gets in the car and slams the door closed. She doesn't say anything and just looks at her lap. "Are you okay?" She looks at me and nods with a slight smile, and then returns to her original position. I start the car and start the several hour long ride back to the hotel.

It around 4:00 when we get back, and Mika reminds me that we haven't had much to eat.

"Dad-I mean Glenn, I'm hungry!" She says once we get upstairs.

"Okay, okay." I say and look in our food bag, but it's empty. "Come on. We'll go look in the kitchen." We go down there and there's nothing to make a meal out of. We run back upstairs. Maggie is laying on the be with her back to the door. "Maggie. We're out of food. So I'm gonna go out on a quick run." She nods her head. "So just keep tabs on the kids." I say and she nods again. "Want me to get anything in particular?" She shakes her head. "Okay." I lean over her and kiss her forehead. "I should be back in about an hour." I say and tell the girls and drive through town. I gather plenty of food, nothing that good, and other useful things from a 7-Eleven and a Walmart. I don't want to be out after dark so I head back. I drive back and present the food I've gathered and the girls have at it. I go into our room. "Maggie? You awake?"

"Yes." She mutters. I sit down next to her on the bed.

"Are you hungry?" I ask.

"A little."

"Come eat something." I say. "Please."

"Okay." She gets up and hugs me and holds on for a good minute. I can tell how badly she's hurting. She pulls away and gives me a kiss. She looks me in the eye and then goes to join the girls. I follow after her. We all eat together until Maggie goes back to bed to lay down. The girls and I play games and draw until nine when they're beat. I tuck them in and then join Maggie in bed.

"Are you asleep?" I whisper. The silence and her quiet, steady breathing answers my question. A slip my hand around her waist and hold her close to me. "Good night."


	5. Chapter 5: Sun

**A/N: I actually wasn't going to elaborate on Maggie further, but someone asked about her, so I decided to do an extension on her. As always, thanks for reading.**

**Chapter 5: Sun**

**Maggie's POV**

I wake up with the sun in my eyes and a cool breeze blowing from an open window. My first thought is that I hope to god that everything that happened yesterday was just a horrible nightmare. But seeing my bloody boots on the floor proved otherwise. I really _had_ lost my father and sister. There's a knock on the door.

"Maggie?" Glenn says. "Are you up?" I don't answer and leave my back to him. I can hear him make his way to my side of the bed. I close my eyes to make him think I'm asleep. I hear him kneel down in front of me. He puts his hand over mine. "I just wanted you to know how sorry I am. I loved them, too." It's almost like he knew I was thinking about them. He kisses my hand. "Well, the girls wanna go out. So, I was, uh, gonna take them for a out for a drive or something." He puts a piece of hair that fell on my face back in place. "But, I know you can't actually hear me, so I'll write you a note, too." He picks up the pad of paper and the pen from the side table and slowly writes a note in his big, but neat, handwriting. He stands up and places a delicate kiss on my forehead. "We'll see you later." He says and walks out the door.

Only after he spoke, did I actually feel a wave of serenity rush over me. Regardless of losing Beth and my dad, I still have my family. I have my husband, who loves me and cares for me, no matter what happens to either of us, that I love back just as much. And I have two girls that I love just as I would my own daughters. I thought I had lost everything. I lost a large portion of what I have to live for, but I still have so much more. And only when he uttered those few simple words, could I actually see that.

With the sun still in my eyes, the memory that I did not have decent night's rest comes back to me. I was tortured by the night terrors that were coaxed by the trauma going back to that dreaded prison caused. The exhaustion reenters my body, but I can't sleep. So I do the one of the only things that will pull me in to unconsciousness. "On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree." I whisper-sing to myself, even though it's only late August or early September, nowhere close to Christmas. But the repetitive lyrics and soothing tune do the trick as just as well as an Ambien would. With every verse, I feel my surroundings turning into a fog. I only make it to the 7th day of Christmas.

I have a dream. A really good dream. My mom, my dad, and Beth, even though she never knew my mom, and I are all sitting around the TV in the living room. I'm about 12 in the dream, and Beth is about 6. We didn't watch TV much growing up because there was a lot of work to be done on the farm, but we loved every moment of television. I have my head resting on my mom's shoulder and I can smell her lilac perfume that she always used to wear. And Beth is sitting on my dad's lap and he is running his fingers through her long, blond, almost white, hair. No one says anything; there's no need to. This intimate moment of peace and togetherness would be ruined by mere words. My mother looks down at me, and I look up at her. She kisses my forehead. I'm awoken by something touching my face.

I open my eyes and push myself up with my hands. Glenn is sitting next to me. "What?" I ask.

"You're crying." He says, wiping tears from my cheeks. I lift my hand up and touch my eyes, feeling the wetness under my eyes. I wipe away the rest of the tears. "What's wrong?" He asks. I smile and nod my head.

"Nothing. I'm okay."

"Did you have a nightmare?"

"No, no." I say.

"Then what is it?" He asks. I slowly lean forward into him and he wraps his warms around me and holds me.

"It's nothing. Really." I say, the words half muffled by his chest.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Not at first."

"Are you too tired to hang out with us?"

"Of course not." I pull away and look up at him. "Where are the girls?"

"They're in their room. I told them to close the door so they wouldn't bother you." He says, stroking my hair. I lean back into him.

"Do you love them?" I ask.

"What?" He pulls back and I turn to face him.

"Lizzie and Mika. Do you love them?" I repeat, looking him in the eye.

"Of course I do." He answers. "Do you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Just wonderin', I guess." I answer absentmindedly. "I'm gonna go say hi to them." I slither from his arms and open the door to the girls' room.

"Mommy, look what I got!" Mika rushes over to me.

"Let's see it."

"Daddy says it's called a GameBoy Color. You can play video games on it." She explains, although I know very well already.

"That's cool. Where did you find it?"

"Ehh, in a house." She says hesitantly. I've told Glenn before not to take them on house searches. It's too dangerous.

"Oh yeah?" I turn and eye Glenn and he smiles nervously. I turn back to Mika. "What game are you playing?"

"Umm, what's it's called again?" She asks Glenn.

"Pokemon Crystal." He says.

"You know, I had this game when I was a kid." I tell her.

"Really?" She asks, surprised.

"Well, it was my sister's. But I played it from time to time."

"Wow."

"Lizzie, did you get anything new?" I say to her. She hasn't said anything since I came in.

"Yeah. I found some Legos and a CD player, and some decent CDs to go with it."

"That's a good find."

"Yeah. Not bad." She says. There's a bit of an awkward pause. "So, are we just not gonna talk about it?"

"You mean about what happened yesterday?"

"Yeah." She says with an attitude.

"Would you like to talk about it?" I answer calmly. I'm not ready to handle teenager sass.

"Well, no." She says quietly. "I just thought you might want to."

"No. I mean, I'll always love them. And I'll miss them like hell, but I want to move on." I explain, and she nods. There's another awkward silence that I don't know how to break.

"Is any one hungry?" Glenn says cheerfully. _Oh, Glenn, how I love you._

"No." Lizzie says dryly.

"Nope." Mika says blankly.

"Yeah." I say.

"Will you guys be okay up here?" He asks the girls. They both nod. "Okay. We'll be downstairs." Glenn leads us downstairs into the kitchen. "Oh!" He exclaims. "I got somethin' to show you." He takes my hand and takes me out back, behind the hotel. In a medium sized cage is a white chicken, a hen.

"Oh my god." I say, habitually covering my mouth with my hands in surprise, and a little disbelief. "Where did you find it?"

"It wondering around uptown."

"Were there any others?"

"No." He says shaking his head. "We looked everywhere near where we found it. Nothing."

"Now all we gotta do is find a rooster." I say, elbowing him playfully. He laughs and rolls his eyes.

"Heh, then we'd have a whole mess of chickens. And a lot of eggs." He sighs.

"Man, do I miss eggs." When we were on the farm, all we ate was eggs. I was sick to death of them. And now I would do anything for one. And then, as if on command, with a squawk, the hen pops out a big, white egg. We look at each other to see the others' reaction. He opens the cage and reaches his hand in to take the egg. He inspects it. "Let me see it." He hands it to me and I hold it like it's my greatest treasure.

"You think it's okay to eat?" He asks eagerly.

"I don't see why not. But what if it's fertilized?"

"But there were no other chickens."

"You mean you didn't _see_ any other chickens." I say. "I think we should wait."

"Won't it be bad by the time we know?" I laugh. I forgot he doesn't know anything about farming.

"No. Eggs last for several months. We'll know in two weeks or so. But, for we should definitely wait and see." I take a small bundle of towels and make nest inside the cage. I place the egg inside it and put the chicken on top of it. Then I move then entire thing inside and put it in the corner of the room. "Did you pick up anything for it to eat?"

"Yeah, it's in the car." He says and rushes outside. He returns quickly with a large bag of chicken feed. I tear the bag open and put a small bowl of feed in the cage along with a separate bowl of water.

"You didn't need me to do this." I say.

"But, you know, uh, farm things." He stutters. "I'd probably do it wrong." I get up and give him a light, closed mouth kiss.

"You're funny. I like you." He laughs. And then my stomach growls.

"Right! We came down to get you food." He digs through a reusable shopping bag, listing off what there is. "Uhh, there's peanut butter, tuna fish, Spam..."

"I love Spam!" I exclaim like a small child.

"What? Really?" He says, popping the top on the can.

"Yeah. I used to eat it all the time in college."

"Huh. I learn more about you everyday. How are you supposed to eat it?" He asks, looking at the open can before handing it to me.

"Just out of the can with a fork." I say, pulling a fork from the utensil divider beside me. I impale the strangely appetizing block of meat and bring a small piece to my mouth. Enjoying the savory saltiness of the canned ham. He sits next to me and stares at it like it's an alien. I put more on the fork and offer it to him. "Try some." He shakes his head like a stubborn child. "Down the hatch."

"No." He says playfully.

"You know you want to."

"No."

"Doooo iiiitt." I say and he accepts the bite and chews it slowly and swallows.

"It's actually not bad." He admits.

"Did I tell you or did I tell you?"

"You told me." He says, smiling.

"Glenn, did you go to college?" I ask out of the blue. We've been together for over a year and I've never asked.

"Um, sort of. I went to community college, but I had to drop out."

"Why?"

"I couldn't afford it." He says casually. He doesn't seem ashamed.

"Same here. But I didn't really want to go in the first place." I say.

"Why not?" He asks. "I always dreamed about going to college when I was a kid."

"I knew I would never get a decent career, so I figured, you know, just screw it. I'll just live on the farm." I say. "But my dad insisted that I go. So I went." I finish my Spam. "Let's get back upstairs." He nods his head and we walk up the stairs in silence.

When we get back to our room, Mika asks me about the chicken. "Mommy, did you meet Chapstick?" She asks me excitedly.

"Chapstick?"

"That's what I named the chicken." She says.

"Ohh. Yes, I did. It was a nice surprise." I say.

"I hope it lays a lot of eggs." She says.

"Me, too, honey." I say. "I'm just gonna change real quick." I close the door. I pull off my shirt and out on a fresh one. "Glenn." I whisper.

"Yeah?"

" I can hear them talkin'"

"What are they saying?" He asks. He puts his ear up to the door next to mine and we listen to them.

"You have to stop calling them mom and dad." Lizzie says to Mika.

"Why?" Mika asks her sister.

"Have you forgotten about our real mom and dad?"

"No." She says sadly. "But Lizzie. They're not coming back."

"But do you really wanna betray them?" Lizzie asks Mika.

"They would understand." Mika says, obviously close to tears. "You don't have to call them mom and dad, but I will. And you're gonna have to deal with it." Mika has never stood up for herself like this before.

"Should we go in there?" Glenn asks me. I shake my head.

"No. We don't need to intervene." I answer. "Let them work it out."


	6. Chapter 6: Quiet

**Chapter 6: Quiet**

**1 Year Later**

**Maggie's POV**

It's been a year since we've seen anyone else. It's just been me, Glenn, and the girls. They've gotten so big. They make me feel older than a twenty five year old should feel, but I love them to pieces.

It's been so quiet at the hotel. No walkers, no problems with other groups, no break ins, not that I'm complaining. A little boring. It's nice not having to worry, though.

We over slept. Not that it really matters since their is not much to do. I cling to Glenn for warmth, pressing my naked body to his. "Glenn." I whisper.

"Mmm." He answers.

"You awake?" He smiles.

"No." He says and laughs.

"Oh. Well, that's too bad, because only people who're awake get breakfast." I say jokingly.

"I better get up then." He says, pushing himself up with his arms, defining the muscles in his arms. "So what's for breakfast?"

"Eggs, of course. And maybe some Pancakes?"

"Mika will like that." He says.

"Yeah she will." I force myself to sit up, holding the sheets to my chest.

"Oh my god." He says. "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"You have scratch marks down your back." He says. I break out laughing. I look at his back.

"So do you!" I say through the laughter and he joins in. "I have bruises on my arms and legs!" I laugh more. "You are a beast." I wrap my arms around him from behind and kiss his neck. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"You better have used a condom last night, you jerk." I say.

"Don't worry, I did."

"That's a good boy." I kiss his neck again. "I totally think the girls heard us."

"When? Just now or last night?"

"Last night. And now, if they're awake."

"I-probably." He says and chuckles.

"Oh, man. This is a little embarrassing." I say and search the floor for my bra. I put it on and find some underwear to put on. "Baby, where are my jeans?"

"Uhh, over here." He tosses them to me. "What about mine?"

"Huh, over here." I toss his to him. I pull on the jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and a hoodie. I look out the window. "It's snowing again."

"Again?" He sighs.

"Yeah. It's just flurries, though." I say. "Ugh, make sure the girls are up and I'll get started downstairs."

"Okay."

I run down the stairs to the kitchen and go out the back door then open the door to the small barn we built. We found many more chickens. We also found a cow wandering around a few miles away and we brought it here. The cow is going to have a calf soon. So around next winter, we'll have plenty of meat. And more milk. I open the door to her stall put my hand over her stomach. I can feel the calf moving around. "Oh yeah, honey. You're due real soon." I run my hand up to her head and scratch behind her ears. "You're a good girl, huh, Millie?" Mika did the honor of naming all of our animals. It's kind of cute. I fill Millie's stall with plenty of hay and fill up the chicken feeder. All of the chickens crowd around it, fighting over the food. It's actually really funny. "You'll all get to it." I say to them.

"Everything good in here?" Glenn comes in a closes the door behind him.

"Yep. I just hope you're ready to deliver a calf in a few weeks." I say with a smirk.

"Oh yeah. Totally." He says sarcastically.

"Oh come on! You'll love it." I say jokingly. I've helped my dad deliver a dozen calves. It actually sucks. But the baby cows are really cute.

"Sounds like a blast, babe." He says offering me my coat.

"Woo, thanks." I say putting it on. "This is a bad winter."

"I know. And it's only December. It's only gonna get colder."

"We have to fix that hole over there, too." I point out the hole in the barn wall. "Or the poor things will freeze."

"I'll do that right now, and you go inside."

"Okay. I'll start breakfast." I go inside and run back up the stairs to see if the girls are up. I open the door and they are both still dead to the world. _Damn it, Glenn._ I brush my teeth and fix up my hair before waking them up. "Come on, guys." I go to each one and shake them. "Up and at 'em." They moan and beg for five more minutes. "Mika, honey. I'm making pancakes." She gets out of bed.

"I'm up. I'm up, I'm up, I'm up." She says.

"That's what I thought." I say. "You next, Lizzie. Get up." She sits up with a groan. "There's my sunshine. I'll see you downstairs." I run back downstairs, once again, to the kitchen to start breakfast. _Okay, pancakes first. They'll stay hot longer._ I think to myself. I fry up eight pancakes, enough for everyone to have two. Any leftovers can go to Millie and the chickens. _Now for the eggs. _"Mika likes them sunny side up, Lizzie and I like them scrambled with an extra white, and Glenn takes them over easy." I always have to say that part out loud to myself. If we have to eat eggs all the time, we might as well eat them the way we like them best. I make those and separate all the food onto to different plates and set them around the table. I stick my head out the door. "Glenn, breakfast is ready."

"Just a second." He says from wherever he is. I grab the jug of milk before closing the door and the girls come running into the kitchen and sit in front of their plates. I hand them each a glass of milk before they start eating.

"How's Millie?" Mika asks before taking a bite of eggs.

"She's just fine." I put a small pitcher of syrup in the middle of the table.

"Will she have the baby soon?" She take the pitcher and douses her pancakes in syrup.

"I think so. In few weeks is what I'm guessing." She smiles.

"I'm excited." She says. "I'm naming it Mabel."

"What if it's a boy?" Lizzie interjects.

"How 'bout you name it if it's a boy?" Mika suggests. Lizzie nods.

"Okay. We''ll name it Jackson if it's a boy."

"Ooh. I like it." Mika approves. I go back outside.

"Glenn? Where are you?" I can hear him struggling. "Glenn?" I run to the other side of the barn, pinned to it by a walker. Without thinking, I jam the knife in my hand in the back of it's head. He pushes it aside. He touches my elbows with both his hands.

"Thank you." He pants. I put my hands on either side of his face and check him for bites or scratches. "I'm okay. I'm okay. It didn't get me." He assures me. I nod and hug him, thankful that nothing happened.

"We've hardly seen any walkers in over a year." I say.

"I know." He replies calmly. "We'll build a fence come spring." I nod.

"Okay. Please come inside now."

"Yeah. Let's go." We go inside and he shakes the snow from his hair. "Maggie, your hands." I look at them. They have some blood on them from the walker. I rush over to the sink and wash them before the girls see.

"What took so long?" Lizzie asks Glenn. He joins me at the sink.

"Just some snow got in the barn. I was getting it out." He lies. I wash off a few spots of blood from his face without her seeing.

"Oh. Okay." She says a bit skeptically. His smile as he turns to face her makes her believe the lie. He claims to suck at lying, but he's actually not bad.

"Are there any more pancakes?" Mika asks cheerfully. I take one off my plate and put it on to hers. I haven't much of an appetite anymore. They finish eating within a matter of minutes.

"Can we go back upstairs now?" Lizzie ask.

"Yeah, that's fine. Just put your dishes in the sink." They do what they're told and walk out the kitchen door. I slowly but surely finish my own breakfast and proceed to do the dishes. Glenn puts his plate in the sink.

"I'll get rid of the body." He says.

"Be careful."

"I will."

The calf comes a few weeks later, just like I had predicted. One morning I find it's feet sticking out. I rush up the stairs and roughly shake Glenn awake. "Glenn come one. Get up!"

"What! What is it?" He begs.

"The calf is coming and I need your help." He slips on his boots and pulls on his coat and follows me downstairs and outside. He takes in the sight and makes a face.

"Oh, god." He says under his breath. "I'm not ready for this."

"Don't worry." I console him. "All you gotta do is take the feet." We each grab a leg. "And pull like hell." Very slowly the calf comes out.

"Is it usually this much work?"

"Sometimes."

"Shit."

"We're almost done. I swear." He looks at me and then back at the job. "Just keep pulling." Ten more minutes of pulling later, the calf is laying on ground of the barn, getting licked by Millie. "Look at it." I say to Glenn. "I'ts cute, isn't it."

"I'll give you this one. It's pretty cute." He says.

"You know what, go get a blanket for it." He wordlessly does what I say. I squat down to get a better look. It's definitely a Jackson."Hi, sweetheart." I wipe my hands with a kitchen towel and then use it to wipe off it's face. He's shaking. "I know you're cold. Just wait, okay?" I get up and look into Millie tired eyes. "Good job, girl."

**Glenn's POV**

I take a blanket and a towel from the nearest ground level room for the calf and present them to Maggie. "Here." She takes the towel and rubs it down, drying it off before draping the blanket over it's shaking body. "And that's all?" I ask. Seems a little too simple.

"That's all." She clarifies. "At least I think so. I haven't done this in awhile."

"He looks fine to me."

"He does look good." She agrees. "I gotta wash my hands." I follow her inside. She turns on the tap and runs her arms and hands under the cold water. She dries her hands on her clothes. "Ugh, I'm tired."

"Yeah. Me, too."

"No, I'm _really_ tired. I gotta go lie down." She walks out the kitchen doors. I check on the cows one last time and go up there after her. She didn't even bother to close the bedroom door to stop the draft from getting in. She's lying on her stomach, lazily draped over the bed.

"Are you okay?" I ask. She's shivering. I pull the blankets over her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She sputters out. "I just don't feel good, and I'm tired."

"Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"Yes, please."

"I'll check on you later." I kiss her head. I slip into Lizzie and Mika's room to wake them up. "Lizzie, Mika, wake up." I tap them both. "If you don't get up, I'm gonna have to tickle you." I threaten. "It's your choice." And like magic they both get up in a heartbeat. Mika gets on my back for a piggyback ride.

"Let's go visit Millie." She says.

"Alright." I'll let it be a surprise. "Lizzie, you coming?"

"Yeah. Sure."

"Shoes and coats and them we can go outside. It's really cold today." They do as I say and Mika gets on my back again so I can carry her outside.

Once we're in the barn, Millie is the only one you can see and the stall door blocks the calf. Mika pets her nose. "Mika, why don't you go in." She does.

"Eeeee!" She squeals with delight as she sees the calf, still wrapped in the blanket, lying on the ground. "Is it a Mabel or a Jackson?"

"It's a Jackson."

"He's so cute." She says, petting him all over. Millie watches her intently.

"What do you think, Liz?" I ask Lizzie.

"He's perfect." She says smiling, also reaching down to pet him. Once her hand touches him, Millie starts getting mad.

"Okay, Millie's getting pissed. We should get back inside."

"Can we come back later?" Mika begs.

"Sure. In a few hours, we'll see them again."

We have a simple cereal breakfast because I don't know how to cook. "Where's mom?" Mika asks with her mouth full.

"She's sick, so she's resting."

"Is she okay?" Lizzie asks.

"I'm sure she's alright." I finish my bowl. "I'm gonna check on her right now. You guys finish up, and do whatever you kids do." I walk upstairs and Maggie's not in bed anymore, but the bathroom door is closed. I knock on it. "Maggie." I knock again. "You in there?" She doesn't answer. "Knock twice if you're okay." She knocks. I look under the crack of the door. She's sitting on the floor, leaning on it. "What's wrong?" There's nothing. "Please talk to me."

"Glenn." She says in a rough voice.

"Yes?"

"Promise you won't be mad." She demands.

"I promise." I say. "Just talk to me."

"I'm pregnant."


	7. Chapter 7: Surprises

**Chapter 7: Surprises**

**Glenn's POV**

"W-what?" I say. "You're not pregnant. We always use protection. It's impossible. "

"Is it?" She says condescendingly through the door. "Is it _really_?" She swings the door open and shoves a pregnancy test in my hand. "Does that look like _bullshit_ to you?" She yells at me, her face red with tears of pain, rage, anger, and fear running all down her face. I look at it. It simply says "Pregnant" and say "5 weeks" in the corner of it of the digital screen. I wanna ask where she got the pregnancy test in the first place, but I tell myself it's not the time.

"Does this mean that you're five weeks along?" I ask quietly.

"Yes." Her voice cracks. She covers her face with her hands and I take her in my arms.

"It's gonna be okay." I say.

"I'm scared."

"Me, too." I can't even handle a fucking baby _cow_. Much less a human baby.

"No. You don't understand." She says. "You didn't _see_ what happened to Lori. You didn't _see_ what I had to do. That could happen to me just the same." She cries. "No doctors, no medical supplies. We don't have _shit._"

"Look at me."

"No."

"_Look at me_." She does.

"Everything will work itself out." I wipe the tears from her face. "And you need trust me on this." She takes a deep breath and nods. "It'll all be fine."

"Don't tell the girls. Not yet."

"What do you want me to tell them?"

"Don't tell them anything." She says. "If they ask, just tell them I'm sick. At least it's not a complete lie."

"Okay." I tuck her hair behind her ears. "Why don't you lie down."

"No, I don't need to..." She yawns and lets me put her to bed.

"Shh...Don't worry." I say, stroking her hair until she falls asleep. When I'm sure she's under, I pull up her shirt. I can see an ever so slight expansion of her trim waist, that I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't looking for it. I pull it back down and let out a sigh. _Shit, this really is happening._ I kiss her cheek and start back downstairs to the girls, hoping they didn't hear the yelling.

"What was all that about?" Lizzie asks. _Oh shit, she heard us._

"It was nothing. Don't worry about it."

"No, it wasn't." She insisted. "What looks like bullshit?"

"You watch your mouth." I say.

"You two don't yell for nothing. You wouldn't risk the noise. What happened?"

"Listen here. If I think you need to know something, I'll tell you." I lecture harshly. I know that it's not her fault that I'm stressed out. "Don't badger me like that." She looks away with attitude. I feel like shit for taking out my frustration in her, but she's not making it easy. Meanwhile, Mika's face is scrunched up, in what looks like pain. "What happened to you?" I ask in a gentler tone.

"Nothing, nothing happened to me." She's not a good liar.

"I know you're lying. You might as well just tell me what happened." She looks me in the eye and quickly looks away. She pulls up her pant leg to reveal a hoof shaped bruise ironically placed on her calf. "One, you know you're not supposed to go outside alone. Two, I told you not to bother the cows."

"We're not babies." Lizzie interrupts.

"But guess what? You did exactly what I told you _not_ to do, and she got hurt." She keeps staring me dead in the eye. "You two don't have restrictions because I enjoy being an asshole. I don't want you to get hurt." I continue. "You two and Maggie are all I have left. But I can't protect you if you won't let me. Does that make sense?" Lizzie looks away from me and gives a small, almost undetectable, nod of her head.

"I'm sorry!" Mika says guiltily. She hugs me.

"I know." I lift her up. "I'm gonna take you upstairs."

"Okay." She holds on to me. As I pass Lizzie, I touch her head as an apology of some sort. I can feel her watching me as I walk up the stairs.

I set Mika on the bed. "You find something quiet to do. I'm gonna make an ice pack for your leg. Okay?" She nods. I know she regrets disobeying. I go outside and fill a plastic bag with some snow. Lizzie is standing in front of the door, waiting for me. She doesn't say anything. She walks up to me and hugs me around my waist. I hold her close to me, more for my comfort than for hers.

"I'm sorry for being difficult." She she says. "I love you." She takes a pause. "Dad." She's never called me dad before. Always Glenn.

"I love you, too." I say back. "And it's okay. We're all pretty stressed out. Just try and cut me some slack."

"Okay."

"I'm gonna take this to your sister." I say gesturing to the ice pack.

"Okay."

Over the next month or so, Lizzie calms down. She stops acting out and arguing with me. Now I know that she resented me for being her father figure because she was still sore that her real father is gone. She had trouble accepting it.

Maggie hasn't said much about her pregnancy. She's scared, I know that for sure. But I also think she might be a little bit excited, too. I catch her holding her belly, that has grown slightly more. It's somewhat obvious bare, but you can't see it through her clothes. She's sick a lot, and I think Lizzie and Mika are noticing. But she still hasn't mentioned anything to them. She's_ literally_ sick of eggs and I think I've fetched her over a dozen cans of Spam.

"You're _sure_ you're okay?" I ask her, holding back her hair after she's vomited for what seems like the hundredth time. She sits down on the floor across from the closed door, leaning on the cabinets under the sink.

"Yeah. Just thirsty." She pants. I hand her a bottle of water and sit down next her. She downs the whole thing.

"A little better?" I ask. She leans her head on my shoulder and nods.

"Mmhmm." She moans.

"Mom! Dad! You in there?" Mika asks, rapping on the door.

"Mika! Leave them alone. They're probably doing _adult_ things." Lizzie says.

"Whaaa...?" Mika trails off. I hear them leave the room and Mika begging her sister to tell her what "adult things" are.

"Oh, great." Maggie says. "Lizzie thinks we're having sex in here." I laugh.

"I wish." I say jokingly and she hits me playfully.

"Sex is the seventh to last thing on my mind."

"Seventh to last?" I laugh again. "And exactly how many things are on your mind?"

"Like eight." She laughs with me.

"What's the eighth to last thing?"

"Ohh, wouldn't you like to know." She teases.

"Go on. Let's hear it."

"No. You'll make fun of me."

"No, I won't." I say. "Promise."

"Pudding." She says. "Butterscotch pudding. Even though it's nasty. I want it so bad." She says smiling.

"Hey, butterscotch is alright." I say, pretending to be defensive.

"Shut your pretty little mouth and help me up." She says. I get myself up off the floor and bend over so she can wrap her arms around my neck for me to pull her up.

"So, you feel like doing anything today?" I ask.

"Ehh, no. Not really."

"Want me to get you anything?"

"Um, you can find me something to read. You know, if you feel like it."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you want." I really do want to do whatever she wants. I want to keep her happy. Especially since she's been so discouraged these past few weeks. I dig through some luggage in one of the rooms and find all kinds of books and magazines. I don't know who the hell brings magazines to a hotel with them, but whatever. "Okay, so I found all these." I put everything in a pile next to her bedside table. "Maggie?"

"Thanks, honey. I was just brushing my teeth." She says walking out of the bathroom. She kisses me on the lips. "I couldn't do that otherwise." She says smiling. I smile back.

"Do you need anything else?"

"No. I'm okay. Thank you." She kisses me again and sits on the bed. "Did you clean out the barn?"

"Yep. Everyone's cleaned, fed, and watered."

"The girls too?"

"You bet. And Mika found a new video game and Lizzie found a new book. So they're all set for a few hours."

"Oh, good. You gonna stay with me?" She says taking my hand.

"Yeah." I say, laying down with a groan. "Maybe take a nap. What time is it?"

"Four. You can take a nap and I'll wake you up for dinner later." She says brushing my hair back.

"Okay." I say through a yawn and everything slowly turns into a fog. Maggie wakes me a few hours later like she said. "What time is it?"

"It's a little after eight. Sorry it's so late."

"No, no. It's fine." I sit up. She rubs my back.

"Come downstairs for dinner." She says, comfortingly. I nod and follow her down to the kitchen where Lizzie and Mika are eating pasta. Maggie puts a bowl of it in front of me. "Pasta's fine, right?"

"Yeah, of course." I say taking a big bite.

"Can we watch a movie tonight?" Mika asks Maggie.

"Yes, but you'll have to wait a few weeks before you watch another one." She says. "We have to conserve power. You know that." Mika nods and quickly finishes the her dinner and pressures her sister to do the same.

"Can we go?" She asks.

"Yeah." Maggie answers and lazily eats her food. She puts a hand to her forehead.

"Are you okay?" I touch her shoulder.

"Mm. Headache." She mumbles. She takes the last bite from her bowl and gets up quickly from the table. "I'm gonna lay down." I do the dishes and head on up after her.

"Maggie. Are you alright?" I say quietly. She curled up on the bed with her eyes shut tight and her palms pressed to her forehead.

"Shh." She huffs sternly. I push her hot, sweaty hands from her face and replace them with my cold ones. She lets out a sigh of relief. "Crack the window." She whispers. I do what she wants. "It's so hot." The temperature in the room drops in minutes and I wait until she's asleep to close the window. I poke my head in the girls' room and tell them that I'm turning in. I slowly lay on the bed, be careful not to disturb Maggie, and join her in sleep.

I wake up in the middle of the night and Maggie's not there. But there's a blood spot on the bottom sheet about the size of my hand. "Oh shit." I check on Lizzie and Mika and they're asleep. I wander around downstairs, quietly calling her name. After looking everywhere, I figure the last possible place she could be is outside. I pull on my coat and step out the back door. Sure enough, there she is sitting on the steps, with no coat, skin red from the cold, and a bottle of wine in her dried blood covered hands. I pull my coat off and put it over her shoulders. "What happened? And gimme that." I say, pulling the bottle from her, noticing how much of the wine is gone. "You can't drink when you're pregnant."

"When you're _pregnant._" She mutters.

"Maggie. Tell me. _What happened?_" I squat down in front of her and she looks at me with bloodshot eyes.

"I'm not pregnant anymore." She says. She looks at the ground. "I lost the baby." She takes the bottle from me a takes a swig.

"M-maybe you didn't. Maybe it was just bleeding." I ramble._ That happens during pregnancy, right?_

"Glenn." She stops me. "You saw all the blood. And I saw _her_." She says, the tears welling in her eyes for what I know is not the first time tonight. _Her_ echoes in my head. _Her._ It was a girl. "I _know_." She brings the bottle to her lips and drinks again. She wipes her eyes with the cuff of my coat sleeve. I take the bottle back and take a swig of my own. "It's my fault. I did something wrong."

"Don't say that. It's not true."

"Yes it is."

"No." She doesn't say anything.

"Maybe it was for the best." She says. "I don't know how to take care of a baby." She sniffles. "And you wouldn't have wanted another girl."

"Shut up." I tilt her chin up so she's looking at me. "It just wasn't meant to be this time. And I would love _any _baby of ours. No matter what." She looks at me intently. "You're not a bad mother. This was not you're fault."

"This time." She echoes me. "Implying there's gonna be a next time. Will there be a next time?"

"Maybe."

"I wanna try again."

"What? Why?"

"After I stop bleeding like a freshly slaughtered pig, I wanna try again." She states. "I never knew how badly I wanted a baby until one was coming."

"We'll talk about it." I say. "Please. Come inside." Her lips are turning blue. She nods and lets me help her up. I bring her inside and wash her hands under the warm water. I take her upstairs and remember that the sheets are bloody. "Sit." I sit her down on the armchair in the corner of the room. I strip the bed and hand her the pillows. "Hold these." She takes them and holds them close to her. I throw the old sheets in the bathtub and put new ones on. "Come on." She falls into bed, putting one pillow under head and still clinging to another and tossing me the third. I pull off her boots and throw them aside and lay down next to her. "Are you gonna be okay?" I ask, cupping her cheek.

"Yes."

"I love you."

"I know."


End file.
